Streaming Royalties - crunching the numbers

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rob aylestone

rob aylestone

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I got my PRS royalties for the quarter, and for me, I was quite pleased, but I just got a part 2 for the streaming services - the first part was for usage in theatre and TV and radio.
It was more money than I normally get, so I thought I'd have a look at where it came from. An instrumental - show track version of an Adele song had nearly 2 million streams - the majority coming from Spotify and TikTok but then I noticed another - The Jennifer Rush Power of Love song - same thing, a show track I did a few years back. The listings went on for pages and went from a handful of plays on Spotify in Zimbabwe, and some tiny islands - BUT - some territories were just mad. In total, there were 21 MILLION streams. That's just mind boggling! 21 million listens to a 3 minute instrumental. Guess what the payment was for the 21 million? £68 which is about $80. I'm pleased with the idea of 21 million listens, but many of my tracks generated a pound or two, and many generated so little, the spreadsheet displayed them as exponential numbers! To put it into perspective, three months on all my music made about £500. I'm not complaining because this is the most I have ever made from recordings. The system pays so little that to get really decent payments requires zillions of streams. Anybody else getting money from streaming?
 
Since both songs are "covers", I wonder if the royalty is being split between you and the copyright owner. I know that on some of my Youtube videos, any monetization goes to the publisher. A jam session recording of Pretty Woman has a copyright claim on it, so if it were to go viral and have millions of copies, I assume I wouldn't get a dime. They don't forbid the use of the song, they just want any money made from it.
 
Yes it is split. The rules on covers are tight. They must be exact copies, if they are not, and you change things (which I always do just a little) then that makes you an arranger and the licence system is a bit different. So a song that historically fades out early - like so many did in the 60s to guarantee radio play always have an ending as they get used live. The royalties statements show the split, so if two people share the writing credit and I get the arranger's credit, it's usually 33% each. If the song is public domain, then it's 100% of course. If you do a cover, and maybe add in an extra chorus to extend it a bit, it's no longer a cover, just an arrangement. I use 5 different aggregators and they all have different systems. For streaming the rules are different to the sites where you pay to download. Often you try something on one to have it rejected, when a different one might have a licence available. They often say you need a Harry Fox licence, which is not simple to get outside America - but others just charge you a fee for a cover. Most of mine are arrangements, and as the income from the streamers is pitiful, using your countries rights collecting organisation works really well. In my case, the length changes and full stop ending make the income better. A real cover, as in all things identical to the original, rarely make money. Adding things then registering the music as a new product works much better. Not sure if the US system is the same? I suspect it is. When you register the new recording you need to identify the original writers - music and lyrics if both are present, but only the composer if it's got no vocals singing lyrics. I have also noted that it takes a while for the system to kick in. Some of the dates on recent payouts go back over 4 years, so it is not a quick thing. For years I got absolutely nothing from PRS, then suddenly payments started and steadily increased.
 
Got it.

I always thought of a "cover" as doing someone else's song. An example would be You Keep Me Hanging On. Written by Holland-Dozier-Holland, and performed by the Supremes, then by Vanilla Fudge. I wouldn't expect the Supremes to get any money from the Fudge version, but H-D-H would most certainly be entitled to royalties.
 
Me too! On most of the aggregator sites there is a common FAQ - "Can I release covers on XYZ?" The answer is always yes ........ but. It then explains how it works, and I got a bit confused. PRS lets all members see everyones info, but you have to agree not to share this. PPL, who control the recording royalties only let you see info for works you are listed on.
 
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